‘Let go!’
‘If you touch her you’ll be in trouble,’ said Tyler urgently.
At that moment they were distracted by a noise that was coming from the wood, a high clear whine.
‘That’s Aidan,’ said Sam.’ We should report back.’
They went through the trees, with Judy straying and returning, following old tracks and scents. A slight wind rose and carried the smell of the pit through the air. It seemed worse somehow, now sunlight packed the wood and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
They found Aidan high up in an oak tree, secure in his spiked boots and his cradle of rope. He was sawing at a branch with such speed and concentration he didn’t see they were there.
Sam looked round. The afternoon sunlight already pierced the pit, turning the vegetation gold and the flints silver.
Then Aidan caught sight of them and shouted, ‘Keep back!”
Another branch crashed into the undergrowth and from the gap in the fork of the trees the sun blazed in a circle of gold. Without forewarning, one of those timeless moments suddenly overtook them. ‘I feel breathless,’ said Sam as he became aware of something greater than himself.
‘That’s where we’ll build the chapel,’ shouted Aidan, his whole face lighting up, ‘and that’s where we’ll sing again.’
At that moment a shaft of light pierced the pit like a sword.
Chapter Twelve
Tyler and Sam sat down and watched Aidan saw off more branches. Now the late afternoon sunlight swayed with the grass and bushes, rippling over the stones, gathering itself up into low shafts of light, until a cloud cut into the sun and everything gold slipped into shadow.
‘That’s no cloud,’ Tyler told Sam, ‘that’s the old buzzard. He’ll swoop soon if Nimbus has left meat in the pit.’
As he spoke the buzzard flew down, picked something up in its hooked beak and swung up again into the trees.
Tyler squinted. ‘Dead rat – that’s what it looks like.’
There was a rustle in the leaves as the bird flew off to a quieter place.
Then the low sun re-appeared, casting a halo round the valley.
As they all made their way home, Sam told Aidan what Tammy had talked about.
‘I thought it must’ve been Nimbus who took the map from the library!’ said Aidan. ‘I don’t suppose Chloe could do much about it.’
When they reached home, they sat round the kitchen table eating cheese sandwiches. ‘Nothing like food to get the brain cells going,’ said Sam. ‘The next puzzle is: Does Nimbus know what the map means? Chloe told me he can’t read.’
Aidan handed out diet cokes. ‘It depends how much Chloe was forced to cooperate,’ he said thoughtfully.
Sam took a gulp and looked up sharply. ‘Tammy said Chloe told him what the map meant.’
Aidan took a long drink from his coke can. ‘It depends what you mean by that. It’s more likely that Nimbus put her in a trance – after all he was a hypnotist by trade. In that sort of state you sometimes know what you don’t know.’
‘That would come in useful before exams.’ Sam laughed and reluctantly chucked the last bite of his sandwich to Judy, who was looking up at him hopefully. ‘Chloe’s safe with Leela, isn’t she?’
Aidan smiled. ‘As safe as she could be with anyone. But we can’t afford to wait. We’ve got to do something soon. Otherwise Nimbus may find whatever there is and then who knows what he would do?’ He looked hard at Sam. ‘But there again, I don’t know how we’ll get anywhere without a map.’
‘Why don’t we ask Chloe?’ said Sam. ‘She’ll remember.’
Aidan shook his head. ‘Not now, I doubt if she’ll remember anything now.’
‘Why not?’
‘Nimbus will have made sure she won’t.’
‘And I can’t help,’ said Tyler dolefully, ‘I don’t know anything about that sort of thing.’
Aidan smiled. ‘You’re a walking map, Tyler. You know more about the valley than anyone else. Come on, we’ll go up to the library. We’ll turn ourselves into a think-tank. One of us is sure to come up with something.’
The library was flooded with low sunlight and the mirror caught the late sun, turning it into a burning jewel. Now he had eaten something, Sam felt renewed. Aidan pointed to the highest shelf opposite the mirror. ‘I found the map at the back of those books – inside an old ledger.’
‘How did you know it might be there?’ asked Sam.
‘I didn’t,’ said Aidan. ‘I was going through Uncle George’s diaries and I came across a reference to his mother, Emily. Apparently she used to copy her father’s accounts into a ledger in her beautiful, small handwriting. Then I came across the ledger just before you arrived, Sam. It was hidden behind some of the books, up there, on the highest shelf. Emily’s notes were at the back of the accounts with the map that Nimbus took. I think she must have copied it from a much older map.’
Aidan flicked over the pages of one of the diaries. ‘Here we are. A page of Emily’s writing, stuck in by Uncle George in memory of her.’
Sam looked at it closely. ‘What were her notes about?’
‘About the Viking raids and about King Alfred. Like me, Emily had a great interest in him, especially because of the local legends. She was sure the name Kingsholt referred to King Alfred.’
Sam jumped up. ‘I’ve just had a thought.’ He saluted Aidan as he reached the door. ‘Sherlock Holmes at the ready!’
He rushed up to the attic and opened the puppet box. He took out the little notebook and ran back to the library. ‘Here we are. Another Emily Penfold thing.’
Aidan examined it carefully. ‘It’s the same writing,’ he said, ‘small and beautiful.’ He looked up. ‘Rather like yours, Sam. Well done! I must say, I didn’t think about looking in the attic.’
Sam leaned over Aidan’s shoulder and spoke in a deep Sherlock Holmes voice.
‘Where the shadow of the sun
Falls to East the Hunt is on.
Then
Unless the book is found
Underneath the stone
Darkness will rebound
From the pitted ground.
‘Sounds like a couple of childish riddles,’ said Aidan.
‘It won’t be a game, Aidan.’ Tyler spoke urgently. ‘If Emily Penfold knew the valley like I do, she wouldn’t play games with its legends. There’s something she knows.’
Aidan looked up at Sam. ‘Did you find anything else?’
He shook his head.
‘This may be enough,’ said Aidan. ‘I’ll try and work it out. You two take a break. There’s nothing more we can do today.’
Sam and Tyler went back to the attic and poked around but there were no more clues. Tyler decided to take Judy for a walk but Sam stayed in the attic to make sure he had not missed anything that would help. He found nothing so he took the jar of silver sand downstairs and emptied it into one of the big iron pans. He put it into the top oven of the Aga. By now Tyler had come back and he watched Sam in astonishment.
‘I haven’t gone mad,’ said Sam, ‘I’m going to make a quill. First I have to soak the feather. Then I’ll strip it and cover it with the hot sand to harden it. Then I’ll cut the nib.’
Leela was right. There was nothing like doing something practical to sort yourself out. He was definitely feeling better. That night Tyler and Judy slept in Sam’s bed and Sam settled down in an old sleeping bag that had once belonged to Uncle George. He woke about four o’clock, haunted by a nightmare; Nimbus was tying Chloe to the Nimbus Tree and Uncle George was bound to another tree. Uncle George was in green pyjamas and was shaking his head like some old puppet! Sam felt the walls close in on him so he slithered out of the bag, crept out of the room, along the corridor and past the library where a light was still on. He ran down the main stairway, opened the front door and stepped into the garden. That was better! He breathed in the cool night air.
Moonlight flecked the sheep and – Sam tried to find the right word –
tampered with the sundial. Without warning, it swam out of focus and took on the shape of the ghostly monk who was pointing above the porch to the saluki dog. Sam looked away and then back, and to his relief the monk had disappeared and the sundial was standing firm again, silvery in the moonlight. Was this some sort of a message? Of course! The sundial was where the sun’s shadow fell! This must be the place!
The moon slid behind a little cloud as he ran back into the house and up to his bedroom.
‘Tyler, wake up, it’s important.’
Tyler groaned and yawned.
‘Come on, there’s no time to waste.’
Tyler clambered out of bed and pulled on his trousers and old jumper. He and Judy followed Sam downstairs and out into the drive.
‘Where’s east from here?’ asked Sam, standing by the sundial.
Tyler pointed to the stars. ‘Let me see. There’s the plough and there’s the North Star. East is in front of us.’
Sam peered over the flagstones. Little flowers and moss were pushing up in the cracks.
‘Somewhere here,’ he said, ‘that’s where we have to dig for the map.’
Tyler looked at him with an open mouth. ‘What now?’
‘If we wait until morning it might be too late. There’s spades and garden forks in the lobby. I’ll get Aidan.’
Tyler yawned again. ‘It doesn’t seem right to wake him up,’ he said.
‘He’s already awake,’ said Sam.
It took the three of them an hour to lift the paving stones and dig down and another hour to find out there was nothing there. Aidan sat back and wiped his forehead. ‘It was a game after all. Emily Penfold was having everyone on. I’ve already spent too much time on those riddles and I still can’t make head or tail of them. Let’s face it, she was only a little girl having fun.’
Sam looked at the oak front door and the pediment and the dog who appeared whitish against the dark sky. It was standing like any hunting dog, nose in the air, long legs stretched, barrel chest ready to bear the breath of its speed. Sam knew it was mad, but he had a strong feeling the dog was also part of it. Emily Penfold’s riddle beat in his head.
Where the shadow of the sun
Falls to East the Hunt is on.’
‘Of course, that’s where we should be digging,’ he said urgently, ‘under the dog. The sun’s shadow falls there when the sun goes over the roof. I wasn’t thinking hard enough.’ Or taking notice of the monk, he thought. ‘Don’t you see, the dog is a hunting dog and the words ‘the hunt is on’ is a reminder, isn’t it? The dog’s a hunter and so are we. We were wide of the mark, that was all.’
Aidan looked tired. ‘Sam, you had a nightmare. You have an over-active imagination. You need a proper rest.’
‘Please, Aidan. Please.’
‘I’ve been trying to remember the map,’ said Aidan. ‘’I’ve put bits together. It’ll probably be enough.’
‘Please, Aidan.’ Sam looked into his friend’s tired, grey eyes. ‘It’s worth a try.’
Dawn was breaking behind the house. They stood in silence and at last Aidan said, ‘All right.’ He turned to Tyler. ‘You keep a lookout for Nimbus. It’s nearly morning and God knows what he’s up to. We’ve been too long as it is.’
Tyler went off and Sam and Aidan dug in front of the flagstones of the porch. Here the ground was lightly sprinkled with gravel and was easily dug. They worked quietly, piling up the black earth into a tumbling mound.
By now the sun was climbing the sky and they were about to abandon the project when Sam’s spade struck something hard.
‘A flint,’ he said, but he wasn’t sure. It didn’t sound like a flint. Aidan loosened the soil and a black metal edge upended onto his spade. He prised the edge and lifted out a small metal box. ‘Fill in the earth,’ he said, ‘as quickly as possible.’
They were just finishing when Tyler hooted like an owl and then again, urgently.
‘Come on,’ said Aidan softly.
They went inside and clambered upstairs to the library.
‘What about Tyler?’ said Sam.
‘He’ll be all right. ‘He’ll act as a decoy, leading Nimbus away. That’s what he did last time.’
In the library, Aidan spread out some newspaper on the oak table and rubbed the earth off the box. It was an old sweet tin marked with the legend: Suppliers to King George VI. Inside was a leather package, protecting a piece of off-cut vellum. It was a map decorated with anchor crosses and old words in an ancient script.
‘We’ve done it,’ said Sam jubilantly. ‘Nimbus’ll never win.’
‘Never is a big word,’ said Aidan but Sam hardly heard him. The word ‘never’ kept going through his mind. Never. Never. It was a powerful word, a barrier against Nimbus, against his spells, his murderous intentions. It was a barrier he could put round Chloe to keep her safe, to stop her from ever returning to the pest house on the hill.
‘Back to bed,’ said Aidan. ‘We must have some sleep.’ In the morning Aidan took out a pencil and began to copy the old map, putting all the information into straightforward English. Sam watched him closely, especially when Aidan pointed at two marks. ‘You know, Sam, I don’t remember any anchor crosses on the other copy. But here’s a cross near Leela’s cottage and here’s one by Blackburr Fort. They might indicate ways into the underground mines.’
Sam yawned. ‘I think I need breakfast.’
Aidan ignored him. ‘One thing is certain. This is a ninth century map of the stone mines showing the position of an underground chapel. I can date it from the script. So at least there’s something in the legend.’
‘Mum’s got an anchor cross,’ said a sleepy voice. Tyler was standing by the door with tousled hair and clothes crumpled. Judy was beside him sniffing the air.
Aidan smiled. ‘Did you get any sleep?’
‘Four hours,’ said Tyler.
Aidan locked the precious piece of vellum in a drawer of the desk, then gave his copy to Sam.
‘Study this. The thing is, we have to act fairly quickly if we’re going to find the chapel and bring back anything that might be there. I’ve marked the route in red but we may have to use our initiative.’
‘I’m not going underground without Judy,’ said Tyler.
Aidan nodded and opened his haversack. ‘Keep my copy of the map in here, Sam, and take the haversack with you. I’ve put in a pencil and a piece of chalk. You never know, they might come in useful.’ He looked up. ‘Okay boys, breakfast time.’
They sat round the table while Aidan cooked eggs and bacon and made coffee. They ate in silence.
‘I feel better now,’ said Sam, wiping his mouth with a piece of kitchen towel. He pushed back his chair and got to his feet. ‘Right,’ he said, shouldering the haversack. ‘Let’s get sorted.’
Chapter Thirteen
Chloe leaned on the windowsill, looking out at the field. It was past noon and the air was heavy with sunshine. She opened the small top window and breathed in the garden scents, watching the brown, meadow butterflies dart past as if they, like her, had nowhere particular to go. ‘How long was I asleep?’
Leela put her hands on Chloe’s shoulders. ‘It wasn’t all sleep my dear. The first night and the first day you were in some sort of trance. I don’t suppose you remember much about it. But last night you slept well and now you look so much better, especially since you had breakfast.’
‘What’s the time, Leela?’
‘About ten o’clock. I promised Aidan to look in at Kingsholt, to make sure that all is well. But I won’t be long, Chloe and there’s no need for you to get dressed.’ Leela smiled. ‘You may even want to go to sleep again.’
‘I like sitting here, looking out.’ Chloe patted the lacy gown that Leela had given her to wear. It was very old, Leela said, there was no counting the years. She had found it when she was decorating. It was in a bag, hanging on a door concealed behind wallpaper, that lead down to the cellar.
‘You’re the first one to wear the dress,�
� she said. ‘And it’s not the only thing I found. Look at this.’
Leela hung a silver pendant round Chloe’s neck.
‘It’s very old, based on a Roman sign. The anchor cross is what they call it. You keep it with you now.’
When Leela had gone, Chloe looked at herself in the long mirror that hung on the wall beside the window. The touch of lace on the voluminous, white linen gown made her look like someone from another age. She took it off, washed and dressed in her clean jeans and tee-shirt, then lay back on the bed with her arms behind her head, trying hard to remember what had happened before she was brought here. But nothing came to her except a vague sense of a dim place and the sudden sight of Sam. She sidled down the bed and drifted back into an uneasy sleep. Once again she was inside the hidden half of her life, the secret place that spellbound and overshadowed her. Nimbus was running through Bones Wood, calling her name, leading her on and on. She was following, tripping up, trying to catch him up, so that when she opened her eyes and saw him at the window, softly calling her, she thought it was part of her dream. He pointed impatiently to the window catch but she turned away. When she looked back he was up on the windowsill, his hand pushing through the top opening, probing the latch of the larger window below.
Chloe froze. A crack in her imagination took her to the dark stone tunnel. Panicking, she leapt out of bed and ran downstairs to the front door. Desperately, she tugged at it but Leela had double locked it. She ran into the kitchen – and stopped, seeing through the window the bottom rungs of the ladder Nimbus had pushed against the wall. The metal struts were like a cage. She remembered how she had once trusted him. What had happened to make her so afraid?
She went back upstairs to her bedroom and found him opening the window, leaping lightly into the room. He stood absolutely still, his eyes on hers. ‘I want you to follow me, Chloe. You’re one of our tribe. We want you to be with us.’
With a flash of insight into how she had once felt, Chloe said, ‘I’ve changed.’
Nimbus pulled her roughly towards him. ‘Nothing can make you change,’ he said.
Kingsholt Page 9
